1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a tailpiece (or a bridge) for a stringed musical instrument and more particularly to a tailpiece of an electric guitar.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a stringed musical instrument, for instance, an electric guitars, strings are installed so that one end (tip end) of each string is fastened to a tuning peg of the head and the other end (base end) is fastened to a tailpiece provided on the surface of the guitar main body, and these strings are provided under prescribed tensions on the top surface of the guitar main body.
The tailpiece generally comprises a bridge main body attached to the guitar main body, a bridge saddle member (a string supporting member) attached to this bridge main body and supports the base ends of the strings, a length adjusting means for moving and adjusting the bridge saddle member in the direction of the length of the stretched strings (or in the forward and backward direction of the guitar main body), and a height adjusting means for moving and adjusting the bridge saddle member in its height direction. By moving and adjusting the bridge saddle member in the forward and backward direction (or in the direction of the length of the stretched strings), and the angles between the effective string length of the strings and the base ends of the strings are changed, so that the tunes and intonations (sound tones) are adjusted.
Such a tailpiece as above described is disclosed in, for instance, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (Kokai) No. H10-149155 and in Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open (Kokai) No. H5-84992.
The bridge (tailpiece) of an electric guitar described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (Kokai) No. H10-149155, as illustrated in the accompanying FIGS. 10 and 11, is comprised of a bridge base 4 secured by a plurality of screws 3 to the surface of an electric guitar main body 2, six (6) bridge main bodies (string supporting members) 6 provided on the bridge base 4 so that they can be moved and adjusted in the direction of the stretched strings 5a to 5d (the direction being in the right and left direction in FIGS. 10 and 11), height adjustment screws 7 for supporting the bridge main bodies 6 thereon so that the bridge main bodies 6 are adjusted for height, and adjustment screws 9 which connect the bridge main bodies 6 to the bridge base 4 so that the bridge main bodies 6 are moved and adjusted in the forward and backward direction (which is in the right and left direction in FIGS. 10 and 11).
The tailpiece of a stringed musical instrument described in Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open (Kokai) No. H5-84992, as illustrated in the accompanying FIGS. 12 and 13, is secured to the body 2 of a stringed musical instrument, and bridges (string supporting members) 12 that support base end portions of the strings 4 and string point-anchoring sliders 9 that secures the base end portions of the strings 4 are provided in the tailpiece 6 so that the bridges 12 can each be moved and adjusted in the forward and backward direction along guide channels 8 so that the string slant angles α of the segments 4′ of the strings 4 that are between the bridges 12 and the string points of the string point-anchoring sliders 9 can be changed by moving and adjusting the string point-anchoring slides 9 forward and backward prior to adjustment of the strings 4.
However, all conventional stringed musical instruments or electric guitars have several problems and thus have room for improvement.
In the electric guitar bridge disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (Kokai) No. H10-149155, as seen from FIGS. 10 and 11, the bridge main bodies 6 are supported by the left and right height adjustment screws 7, and the height adjustment screws 7 are moved in the channels 10 formed in the bridge base 4 by turning the adjustment screws 9. Consequently, the area of surface contact between the height adjustment screws 7 and the channels 10 is small, and in addition two adjustment screws are not provided so that they are at positions which are left-and-right symmetrical with the strings 5 (5a through 5e). As a result, the movements of the bridge main bodies 6 tend to be unstable. Furthermore, since the adjustment screws 9 are provided so that they are shifted to one side to avoid contact with the strings, when the bridge main bodies 6 tilt, then the left and right height adjustment screws 7 cannot be moved smoothly.
In addition, because the adjustment screws 9 for the bridge main bodies 6 are formed with Phillips-head grooves in their heads, when adjustments are made, unless the shaft of a screwdriver is sufficiently long, the shaft of the screwdriver is butted against the guitar main body, thus making it difficult to operate the screwdriver. There is also the possibility that the screw heads are striped if the screwdriver tilts during the use.
In the tailpiece of a stringed musical instrument described in Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open (Kokai) No. H5-84992, as seen from FIGS. 12 and 13, when the string point-anchoring sliders 9 are moved in the forward and backward direction to change the string slant angle α, movement and adjustment thereof must be done by hand after loosening, from above the string segments 4′, the fastening screws 11 which secure the string point-anchoring sliders 9 to the tailpiece unit 6. Thus, adjustments with the strings 4 tensioned cannot be done, which poses a problem. For this reason, it is necessary to loosen and then adjust the strings 4. However, after loosening the fastening screws 11 and moving and adjusting the string point-anchoring sliders 9 in the forward and backward direction, a desired tuning and intonation is still not necessarily be realized with one adjustment action in which the fastening screws 11 are tightened and the strings 4 are re-tensioned. Thus, the problem is that sometimes the string point-anchoring sliders 9 must be repeatedly moved and adjusted. In FIGS. 12 and 13, the reference numeral 2 is a guitar main body, 6 is a bridge, and 8 is a sliding groove formed in the bridge 6.